Ranma and the Evil Within Continues
by cyndaquil
Summary: In the season 3 episode, “Ranma and the evil within,” Ranma’s evil side was split from his body in the form of his girl half. But what if Cologne made a horrible mistake? New Chapter added
1. Chapter 1

In the season 3 episode, "Ranma and the evil within," Ranma's evil side was split from his body in the form of his girl half. But what if Cologne made a horrible mistake? What if this was actually his good side trying to protect everyone from the evil male Ranma?

Ranma and the Evil Within Continues.

Evils form. .

Ranma lied limp on the ground, Akane desperately hovering over his form. Finally he began to stir.

"Are you okay?" Akane pleaded.

"Uh… Uh… huh. What are all of you doing out here." Ranma's face held quizzical incomprehension.

"Thanks to Shampoo you back to self," proclaimed the Amazon.

"Thank goodness," Akane sighed in relief.

Yet it wasn't over. From out of nowhere came the ghastly scream. Then the strange but familiar girl leaped out, tearing the very earth apart where her kick landed, the force wave pushing everyone aside.

"Take this you fiend!" Cologne hurled a spirit ward at the girl. She blew it away with all the breath in her lungs. Then she leaped into the air.

Akane grabbed the ward. "Okay you. You've had this coming to you for awhile." She placed the ward on Onna Ranma's head. A horrifying shriek could be heard from the redhead. Then she cried "Oh my love, help me!" Everyone assumed she meant Ranma. She cried and cried but her cries fell on death ears. Her body flashed with ghostly light, then faded away. The screams lasted just a few seconds longer than she did. Then the ward that banished her drifted to the ground.

If all present where not mesmerized by the spectacle of the female Ranma's disappearance they might have noted the vile sneer on Ranma's face. The battle of wills was over. Akane had banished her. That fool had shifted the dominance.

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1 month later.

The room was dark. Six figures sat around a round table.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have called you all here to discuss a matter of the highest confidence. In other words what I speak about will not be repeated to anyone who is not part of this circle."

"Who is part of this circle?" Ryoga asked. "It's so dark I can't see any of you."

Sighing Nabiki turned on the lights to reveal Ryoga, Mousse, Kuno, Happosai, and Cologne.

Cologne and Happaosai gave one another an evil glare as is there custom. They are not really on bad terms these days. It's just there version of hello.

"Alright, the reason I called you all here is because I have concerns of a certain houseguest and was afraid no one else would believe me. You see I think there is something wrong with Ranma."

"I believe you," stated Mousse, Kuno, and Ryoga in unison.

"So what do we do about it," Ryoga asked.

"There is no choice," said Mousse. "We have to kill him."

"You don't even know what is wrong yet," scolded Nabiki. The middle Tendo rubbed her temples to ward off an oncoming headache then took control of the room and began to explain. "Listen, Ranma has been different ever since that mess with Happosai's magic incense."

"You're referring to the one that separated his good side and his evil side as his male and female selves." Cologne enquired.

"Do you know of another magic incense?" Nabiki asked. She then stopped herself remembering there had been plenty of magic incenses."

"So your looking to blame something on me, are you?" Happosai demanded.

"YES!" they all screamed in unison. The martial arts master slumped back on his chair and quieted down. "Just checking," he sheepishly spoke. If the old crone wasn't there he would have just thrown a happo fire burst at the lot of them. Nabiki probably brought her for crowd control.

"Look," said Nabiki, "ever since the incense incident strange things have been slowly happening with Ranma."

"He's taller."

"Growth spurt," Kuno offered.

"His voice changed."

"Puberty," Cologne added.

"He hates his girl form."

"He always did," said Ryoga.

"Yes but he no longer uses it to score free food and he doesn't brag to Akane about being sexier than her, at least not as a girl."

Everyone was shocked to hear this. They thought that maybe the experience with the incense had taught Ranma a valuable life lesson then remembered who they were talking about.

Suddenly Cologne spoke up. "Child, allow me to put your worries to rest. First, Ranma now equates his female side with his dark side. It is only natural he would reject it. Moreover, the Jeck-Hy incense that Happosai used was developed by monks of the Kamakura period who where searching for new ways to find enlightenment. The idea was to cleanse oneself of evil desire by separating good from evil. Normally the evil is in an immaterial form that must be bonded to an iconic figure, but Ranma's curse simplified matters. Usually the iconic figure of evil is physically beaten. When the two sides remerge evil is generally the less dominate of the two because it was beaten. Ranma was purged of some of his more selfish characteristics because his dark side was defeated."

Nabiki thought about this. "What if you beat the good side instead?"

"Why then evil becomes dominate of course. You needn't worry. Ranma views his girl half as foreign and the result of a curse as long as he rejects that body it would be associated with his darker half."

On hearing this Happosai began to sweat.

Nabiki thought for a minute. Her calculating mind moving back to the events on the night before the incense incident occurred. "What if Ranma had just had some fun times as a girl, say he scored a free ice cream parfait? Suppose that he admitted to liking his girl form and went to bed with these thoughts just before he was exposed to the incense.

Now Cologne was sweating. She knows how protective Nabiki is with information. She knows offering a hypothetical situation is how that girl goes about telling the truth. She even knew this scenario must be exactly what happened. She took a breath and calmed herself. "Let's not jump to conclusions child. It has been a month. If Ranma's dark side is indeed dominant, and the female Ranma wasn't the bad one, wouldn't he have done something evil by know?"

"Yeah," Happosai added, "we all wonder if the teenagers around us are evil from time to time, but what proof do you have? Besides I was there and that girl seemed pretty evil to me."

"Yet you were still willing to take her side once she offered you a bra. Anyway," Nabiki continued, "of course she seemed bad, she had ghostly powers, an emotionless expression, and was sucking the life out of boy Ranma. Yet when you think about it acting ghostly is normal for a disembodied half of some ones spirit and if male Ranma was the rotten one she could have been trying to help us."

"True," Cologne humored her, "good would try to defeat evil."

"Have I not told you all before," Kuno interjected, "the foul sorcerer Saotome holds captive the heart of the pigtailed girl."

Boink.

Cologne whacked him with her staff and continued. "Still Nabiki, even if your theory is plausible you have given us no real reason to believe it.

It seemed there was no choice. She was hoping the overall will of those in the room would be to fight Ranma with or without reason. Except for Cologne it was. Yet it seemed she would have to put all her cards on the table and tell them the truth.

"Yesterday I caught Ranma in my room." Nabiki held back a tear, but not so far back that everyone couldn't tell it was there. "You see, I have this photo album that I treasure. He was…he was…he was ripping pages out."

Ryoga, Kuno, and Mousse where all ready to kill Ranma, but they came in ready. Cologne asked, "Would these treasured photos happen to be the nudes of the pigtailed girl you've been selling without Ranma's permission."

"I'm sorry Nabiki," Ryoga admonished, "this isn't even enough for me to attack on."

"The Ranma I know would never invade my privacy like that. He knows it'll cost him more in the long run. This isn't Ranma I tell you."

Even the strictest Ranma haters could not buy this one, but Happosai and he alone detected the slightest hint of trembling in Nabiki's typical ice queen voice, and wondered if there was indeed more to the story.

That night Nabiki went home feeling sorry for herself. She had lost the respect of…well a room full of psychos. What's worse they would have helped her if she'd just been honest, or made something up at least. Yet how could she tell them. How could she admit the ice queen of Furinkan was being bullied by someone she used to have wrapped around her finger? Maybe it was all in her head. Except for ripping a few photos Ranma hadn't done anything wrong. But Nabiki considered herself an expert with sarcasm and innuendo and everything about Ranma scared her know. She was being terrorized by nothing more than a hunch. The worst part is everyone loved Ranma more than ever. He and Akane get along now, there parents are thrilled just for that, Nabiki knew Kasumi's was scared to, but was in deep denial, and Happosai doesn't bother with him since Ranma just isn't as much fun as he used to be.

She entered the door to her home. He was waiting for her. These days he always waited for her.

"Hey Nabs, where you been." Ranma asked.

"Out," she said and tried to walk past him. He grabbed her arm as she went by. Out where? She shook his hand off and ran up to her room, then jumped on the bed and began to cry.

Nabiki cried for a good hour then her tears where broken by a feeling. Something was crawling on all fours on her back. It was so light and small her first guess was P-Chan. Then it started to massage her shoulders. Her tension just melted away. This animal seemed to know about shiatsu techniques. The massage made her feel so good that she turned around and wasn't even angry to find it was Happosai delivering this soothing treatment.

Nabiki realized she must look pretty pitiful. After all Happosai was looking into her eyes, and not her chest.

"Nabiki dear," the old man spoke, "I brought you something." He then held out an incense burner. "I believe you dear." We'll fix everything.

She looked at her adopted grandfathers kind expression, then losing all that was left of her normal demeanor grabbed the old man and embraced him in her strongest hug. Happosai's brief moment of sincerity faded away and he thanked the kami that his arms where so short that the closest he could come to hugging the girl was to grab her chest. Nabiki didn't care. What mattered was that she didn't have to be afraid anymore. She could take action. Soon they would have the old spineless Ranma back. Only she was going to be kind to him, because she now knew what it felt like to be taken advantage of.

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Nabiki's been up there awhile Ranma thought.

Leave her alone the voice told her.

She seemed pretty upset when she came home tonight.

You upset her. Just leave her alone.

Maybe I should go check on her.

You shouldn't, the voice demanded.

Ranma heard the voice, but he loved to taunt it. He didn't care about Nabiki; the voice was the one he really wanted to hurt. He walked up the stairs and towards Nabiki's room. The voice in his head screamed, leave her alone, and Ranma delighted at how helpless the voice was. He turned the knob slowly just to taunt the voice, and then he entered. The door was hard to move. When he opened the door a large waft of smoke came out. Rags had been stuffed under the door to keep the smoke from spreading to the rest of the house. "What is this pot?" Ranma questioned. "Wait until Mr. Tendo finds out" he said, laughing to himself. Then he saw them, Nabiki and Happosai wearing gas masks and sitting around a large incense burner.

A look of horror crossed Ranma's face as he realized what it was. He starred at the burner much longer than he should have, breathing in more and more of the fumes as his heart raced and his breathing accelerated. He felt the voice leaving his mind with each breath he exhaled. Then behind him those breaths formed and shaped and drew more matter from the incense burner, until a redheaded girl appeared in the cloud of smoke.

Hearing a slight sound as the girl untied her pigtail and whipped her hair loose, Ranma turned. She honorably gave him a moment to ready himself but he just stood there like a deer caught in the headlights. The girl moved into a fighting stance and positioned her hands in a gesture Ranma knew all too well. Mokoto Takabisha she screamed. A burst of light emitted from her dainty hands and knocked Ranma into the wall above the bed. She then stepped over the incense burner, onto the mattress and waked towards the limp Ranma. She grabbed his throat and as she squeezed Nabiki could see energy or life or something move out of Ranma's body and into the girls. Male Ranma's body became a blinking light and then faded away.

The girl walked over to Nabiki and held her hand out. Nabiki starred into her expressionless face. She wondered is this really the good one. Can she trust this girl? Finally Nabiki took the hand and let the girl pull her up, but Onna Ranma didn't stop there she pulled the girl into an embrace. Again Nabiki found herself in a hug. What is wrong with me, she thought. I'm crying again. Finally Onna Ranma whispered in her ear, "Thank you my love."

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The next morning.

Ranma gave Happosai a disapproving look.

"Good morning Ranma dear." Said Happosai as he grabbed the girl's chest.

"Get off me you freak."

"It's your own fault," Akane scolded, "strutting around as a girl this early in the morning."

Ranma ripped her sensei off of herself and held the bizarre creature by the scruff of the neck. "Looks to me like you're strutting around as a girl to Akane." Ranma let Happosai go. Go ahead and get her big boy," she teased. The master didn't miss a queue, in an instant he was attached to Akane's chest.

"EEEEK," she screamed. "Ranma get him off me."

"I don't know Akane. I kind of owe him for a favor he did me last night."

"FAVOR! What favor."

"He made it so that I could strangle my other self to death."

Akane was so confused that she forgot about the extra weight on her chest.

"I might be persuaded to help you for Oh, 2500 yen," said Onna Ranma with a mischievous grin.

Overhearing this, Nabiki stepped in. "Nice for a first try Ranma, but you probably could have asked for 4000 yen and gotten away with it."

Ranma grabbed Nabiki and gave the girl her morning hug, whispering thank you into her ear for the millionth time. Nabiki didn't really understand who this new Ranma was. She sure as heck wasn't Ranma's good side. That didn't matter. What mattered was that in her arms she felt absolutely safe.

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Hi

Well this is it. I was reading one of the many Fics out there that continues from the "Am I pretty" episode and realized there wasn't much follow up out there to the " Ranma and the evil within" episode.

I know I pretty much butchered the characters but give me your reviews anyway, even if you just want to tell me I butchered the characters.

Also I might write a follow up fic about Nabiki and the new Ranma's adventures, please tell me if you want to see one.


	2. Story II Part I

Disclaimer:I do not own Ranma ½ and will not profit from using its characters. This story was made for entertainment purposes only.

The Evil Continues. Story II Part I

Onna Ranma's stare penetrated all things. As she was always taught (a lesson she was never good at following before), she looked at everything but focused on nothing. She did not look at where she would strike, or away from where she would strike. She did not look at the opponent's weak points, or away from his weak points. To do any of these things would tell the other fighter where she would attack. Rather she took a broad view, seeing everything but never obsessing on any detail. There were several strategies in her mind, with the will to commit yet the flexibility to change with changing circumstances.

Genma looked back at these emotionless penetrating eyes and sweated with fear. "Are you trying to psyche me out boy? Well it won't work." Onna Ranma silently continued to await her fathers move."

"This isn't a staring contest boy. You can't win just by looking at me with that cold, vacant, penetrating gaze." Genma's anger lifted slightly and he began to feel hypnotized by Onna Ranma's eyes. He dropped his own guard and just stared back. They looked through one another for a few moments, and then Ranma, who never once blinked, moved her leg slightly suggesting that she might attack herself. On seeing this Genma swiftly ran away in fear.

Darn Ranma thought. She had wanted to test how her skills were affected by her recent change of perspective. Her fathers morning sparring session should have at least been good for that.

Ranma thought about this for a minute. She could go piss off a great number of enemies, but starting the fights was still not her style. There was one option. She walked into the house and called to her. "Akane, father doesn't seem up to our morning sparring session. Would you practice with me?"

Akane couldn't believe what she was hearing. Onna Ranma didn't even seem to realize she had asked something out of the ordinary. "You want me to spar. Will you take me seriously?"

"Yes, if you wish."

Ranma never sparred with her. For the last month he would even role his eyes whenever Akane reminded him she was a martial artist.

They went into the yard and moved into fighting stances. Akane charged: punch, sidekick, elbow thrust. Onna Ranma dodged effortlessly. No more than effortlessly there was no wasted movement. She was always less than a centimeter out of Akane's reach, but still she was out of her reach. Akane thought she was trying to patronize her "Hey you said you would take me seriously, so attack already."

Pow!

"Akane just starred at Onna Ranma in surprise. It was just a light jab. If she wanted Onna Ranma could have knocked her face off. This was just a hard tap, pointing out that she wasn't guarding her face very well. Ranma gave Akane a moment to regain her composure then Akane smiled and attacked again.

Onna Ranma could have taken her down in a minute but neither of them would get much practice that way. She would dodge two or three strikes then give her another tap, always in the least defended spot, with enough force to hurt but not to damage. Repeated kicks to the left ribs showed Akane how poor that side of her guard was. A few light elbows to the shin showed her that her high kicks were being overused and had poor form. Low kicks were less showy, but more effective. Onna Ranma was taking the training seriously. She wasn't showing off her own skills, just teaching them to Akane. But those eyes were so vacant, so unaffected. They told Akane she was no serious threat. Those eyes made her furious, so Akane decided she would just have to prove her wrong.

After about twenty minutes Onna Ranma stopped. "I have to prepare for school now."

Akane starred at him dumbfounded. "Hah as if. Wait, you're serious." Ranma always has to be pressured to get ready at the last minute. What is going on? Onna Ranma just ignored Akane's expression and walked away.

"Wait, there's plenty of time. If you go now you'll be early."

"Yes, I'm leaving with Nabiki today. She always leaves early."

Akane was speechless as she limped back to the house.

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Something was definitely a little off at breakfast. Genma wasn't around so he and Onna Ranma couldn't steal food from each others plates. Ranma's chopsticks moved at a normal speed and she didn't eat with her mouth open. Kasumi wondered if she was feeling okay. Then, Ranma asked for another bowl of rice and it hit her. This was Onna Ranma's sixth bowl. Normally she only eats five. She wasn't eating less, she was eating more, and in a shorter period of time no less. Her manners were perfectly ladylike yet her technique would have challenged even Picollete Charodin.

When breakfast was over Ranma offered to help with the dishes, another oddity, but as usual Kasumi politely assured her that it wasn't necessary. Ranma was about to insist, but Nabiki tapped her of the shoulder to get her attention. Ranma couldn't resist her.

Nabiki brushed up to Ranma's ear and whispered, "I found it." Ranma showed no reaction but took her hand, and Nabiki ran upstairs. To everyone's shock Ranma did not run, but his feet hovered above the ground and he moved along with Nabiki. Akane and Kasumi just stared at one another wondering what the heck was going on.

"Okay Ranma, this is the girls uniform I wore last year. I would have sold it to Akane, but her hips are too wide for my old clothes."

Ranma took the outfit and held it close as one might cradle a teddy bear. It still had some of her scent, she thought to herself.

"That'll be 200 yen please."

Onna Ranma reached for her wallet before Nabiki told her she was kidding.

"Ranma, are you sure it's okay for you to just go to school as a girl. I mean won't it create problems?"

Ranma thought about how to explain this for a second. "Nabiki, do you ever wonder if I get periods."

Nabiki stared at Ranma in shock. How did her question turn into this?

"How about what would happen if I got pregnant, and then took a hot bath? Can I wash my hands without transforming? If I get stitches or a bone cast, is it safe to transform? People see me as a liminal being. Like a creature of folklore, or at least that coyote who can survive getting anvils dropped on his head."

"I don't understand."

"People handle my very existence by viewing me as something outside the real. The arrogant sexist man is cursed to spend half his life as a woman. The hunter gatherer must play the supporter and the nurturer. I can be a cursed hero or fish out of water. It's kind of romantic as long as its fantasy. That's how everyone sees me at school. They want to hear about my latest misadventure. If I act strange they think I'm in the process of having one. It will excite and entertain them."

"But you not some fairytale coyote you're…your Ranma, doesn't anyone care about that."

"Sounds like you do! Besides I'm not complaining. Everyone in high school feels trapped in a role, and fantasy hero isn't a bad one."

"So uh…"

Ranma knew what Nabiki wanted to ask now. "Yes they're in synch with yours, Kasumi's, and Akane's, so I used to just stay male on those days. I've never been pregnant so I don't know. I've learned to give the water time to warm up before touching it because it is enough to transform. And yes so I have to stay in one form when in a cast or stitches but surprisingly I don't have as many water related accidents happen to me when that issue occurs."

Nabiki shut up for awhile, because she felt that hearing any more might make her head explode. But on the way to school she asked, "So what are you going to tell people when we get there? You can't just go around telling people you spit in two and strangled the other one."

"It depends who asks. Everyone will want to hear something different and no one will get the story straight anyway. What do you intend to say."

"I'll charge them an outrageous information fee. Then I'll make something up."

"Give me a cut and I'll back up and refer people to your story," the redhead offered.

"Fine, 20 . That still leaves us with what to say. Hymn…how about Akane knocked you head first into the pond again."

"Do you have anything other than brain damage?"

"Kuno saved you from the foul sorcerer Saotome. giggle "

"That's good."

"What!"

"Well for one if people believe it they'll think I was born a girl so they'll accept my suddenly wanting to live as one."

"So what do you say when Kuno wants a date, or when you're splashed with hot water and the foul sorcerer Saotome appears?"

"Didn't I tell you, I don't transform anymore."

"What!" How many surprises did this girl intend to drop on her.

They walked on for awhile. Nabiki was beginning to notice that this new Ranma wasn't one to volunteer information, so finally she asked why the redhead no longer transforms.

"Remember the first time we split. Male Ranma kept his own body, while I was some sort of ghost. Well it was the same last night."

"You're alive, aren't you? You have to be." Nabiki was shocked by the desperation in her own voice. Damn it she thought once you start feeling things it's so hard to stop. Now between her and Ranma she was the emotional one.

"I'm real. When I absorbed male Ranma's energy I ascended beyond the spiritual realm."

"I see, so your human, but you have a new body."

"Close. I think this technically makes me a demon."

Good Nabiki thought. This didn't shock her. All these surprises were beginning to desensitize her. Maybe she could get back her ice queen demeanor after all. "Does this mean your going to sprout fangs or tentacles?"

"Depends, are you into that sort of thing?"

Nabiki gulped then quickly changed the subject. "Anyway we're going to have to ask Happosai what that incense really did to you."

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"Happosai," Cologne demanded. "What did that incense do to Ranma?"

"I thought you were the expert. You're the one who answered everyone's questions the first time I used it."

"Don't get arrogant with me you old fool. I sensed it last night, just like I did the first time. Even after all the trouble it caused you used that incense again."

"Should I be impressed? Should I be awed by your tremendous spiritual powers? Is master Happosai just some senile old man who should just leave everything in the hands of a child that has only lived a mere 300 years?"

Cologne rolled her eyes as the great master continued with his sarcasm. "If you tell me I'll treat you to a beef bowl."

"Five beef bowls. Don't be stingy. You own a restaurant."

Soon Happosai was in the Neko Hanten shoveling down beef and trying to grab Shampoo as she kept fresh bowls coming. After five bowls he began to speak.

"Few people truly understand the nature of the Anything Goes Schools wham bam thank you mamm personality splitting incense."

"You mean the Jeck-Hy incense."

"No I like my name better."

"You like the name Pantyhose Taro."

"Do you want to hear the story or don't you."

Cologne shut up and let the fool speak.

"You know that the incense was developed by monks who were trying to purge themselves of evil desire."

"Yes."

"Well, think about it, monks, men who reject all earthly delights, men who go off into the mountains to avoid the temptations of the outside, men who meditate for hours every day trying to purge themselves of all evil desires. In other words they were crazy people. Half of them probably already had split personalities."

That would be Happosai's impression of religious institutions Cologne thought.

"Anyway, the incense did indeed purge the monks of evil desires. They thought they had the discovery of a century. Those monks wanted to share it with the world. But when they tried it on people who didn't have there strict religious training the results were random at best."

"Random."

"You see, using the personality splitter is like hitting a block of wood with a crack in it. It breaks along the cracks. The monks training caused stronger than normal cracks between there good sides, and what there foolish religious doctrines defined as evil."

"What about Ranma?"

"Well he ain't no monk. Have you ever played poker with Ranma?"

"Poker."

"It's a card game. Anyway Ranma grins like an idiot when he has good cards. He looks devastated when he has a bad hand and can't even figure out how to bluff. Most of the Ranma we knew was right there on the surface. He was also proud, petty, egocentric and not afraid to show that. If there was anything Ranma tried to hide or segregate it was his good qualities. Take Akane for example. That idiot Ranma would go through hell to rescue her if she was kidnapped but he could not even say I care about you to her. Was it wrong of me to think I could force that side of him to the surface?"

"I still think you were more concerned about his segregated feminine side."

"You got me there."

"Why did you do this Happosai? Didn't you realize the implications would be permanent?"

"I did this because it was in my nature." A dark ominous shadow fell over Happosai as he continued. "You see I was born from the discarded evil of a thousand monks."

Cologne gasped in horror. Then Happosai fell down laughing. "You actually believed me. Ha ha ha."

The matriarch of the Amazons braced herself and hit Happosai several times with her staff. "Look you moron, what I want to know is there any way to get the old Ranma back?"

The master hesitated. Why should he tell her? After all he didn't particularly want the old Ranma back. Still someone had to carry on the anything goes dojo. On the other had that demon girl was so cute. Heck with women's lib and stuff maybe a girl could carry on the dojo. A female sensei would attract more female students. Suddenly Happosai imagined dozens of girls standing in a row facing him and practicing there high kicks. In Happosai's mind the martial arts obi uniforms morphed into skirts and the high kicks continued.

Happosai stood there drooling for several minutes, until Cologne whacked him on the head with her staff. "Are you sure you were not born of the evil of a thousand men."

"Of course I'm sure! It was fifty men tops. Kidding ha ha ha."

Cologne sighed. Trying to get facts out of Happosai just makes things more convoluted. "One more thing, right now when I try to detect Ranma I only sense one female aura. Where is male Ranma?"

The ominous shadow fell over Happosai once more. "I'm sure he'll show up in some form or other."

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"EEEK!" several girls screamed

"Yeah, I'm all female now so I can't use the other bathroom. See Nabiki for details. Tell her I referred you."

After several awkward minutes Onna Ranma exited the girl's bathroom to find something far more awkward outside. Kuno was waiting for her to get out.

"Pig tailed goddess; Nabiki Tendo hath just informed me that the wretched cur Saotome has fled. She told me that I did defeat him. Odd that this did slip my mind. Anyhow it must be true since your titian hair now flows freely, no longer in the pig tail style that emulated Saotome." Kuno suddenly held out his arms and raised his voice. "Oh titian haired goddess wilt thou date with me."

"Sure."

"But my goddess surely…what? Kuno was caught off guard on account that her acceptance was colder than most of her refusals.

"I said okay, I'll go out with you." She matter of factly echoed.

"You…you…of course you will."

Now for the catch, Onna Ranma mused. "Me and Nabiki are going to the mall after school because I need a few things, why don't you keep us company."

"My love shopping in a place for commoners, I'll have to put a stop to this. The mall, why no scion of the house of Kuno would go to a mere mall, and neither should a beauty as fair as thyself. Let me escort you and Nabiki to the finest boutique in Nerima then after I have attended to all your needs we shall dine in the greatest of luxury."

"If you insist." Onna Ranma then took out her to do list and crossed off arrange for new female wardrobe. It didn't really matter that Kuno saw the list, he was to self deluded to care.

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Onna Ranma entered her morning homeroom five minutes early. Ranma was wearing a girls uniform and her pig tail was untied. There were stares and whispers all through the classroom, yet no one dared simply ask Ranma what was going on. She exuded an air of confidence that told them all was as it should be.

Finally Hinako entered and demanded to know what everyone else only gossiped about. "Saotome, explain yourself. Why are you dressed like that?"

"Dressed like what sensei." She said in a cold ghostly voice that sent chills up Hinako's spine."

"Your wearing a…a…girls uniform," the teacher stammered.

"Oh yes." Onna Ranma now spoke to address all the students. "As you know I have in the past disregarded the schools dress code. Our teachers love and patience has taught me a new respect for discipline and propriety. I will now dress in proper feminine attire rather than those distasteful boys clothes. If people ask why the change I will tell them Hinako did this to me and she will do it for you to."

At this several male students ran out of the classroom in terror.

What game is Saotome playing, the teacher wondered. "Okay class, open your books to page 146."

Class went on but it did not proceed smoothly. Hinako kept losing her train of thought, her hand shook too much to write on the board. She began to stutter. It was Saotome, she kept looking at her. She never chatted with other students, she never took a nap, and she didn't even blink. She just looked at Hinako and wrote notes in a notebook. "Alright, and the area is…I CAN'T TAKE IT ANY MORE. Saotome, why are you watching me?"

"I am watching you because you are giving a lecture sensei." She answered.

"Okay, if you're paying attention then what is pi?"

"The circumference of any circle is pi times its diameter. This constant is roughly 3.14159265."

Hinako stood there in shock for several minutes. She was so still that one of the more daring students was about to start doodling on her when suddenly she jumped in the air screaming "I reached her!" Hinako ran over to Ranma. "Oh Ranma I reached you, I thought I was a failure as a teacher but," she began to cry "I've reached you. Will you pay attention to all my lessons now?"

"Of course sensei, I care about my grades." Ranma held the teachers hand firmly to reassure her.

"And will you stop interfering when I try to discipline other students….No, will you help me restore discipline to this classroom."

"Yes sensei, I will."

Every student gasped upon hearing this. It was a gasp of pure horror.

Around this time the bell rang. This was good considering several students were going to get up and run away anyhow. Akane wanted to ask Ranma what the heck was going on, but she had to wait while Ranma continued to chat with Hinako. Ranma tried to arrange some tutoring sessions, and the teacher gladly obliged, treating her new favorite student like a long lost sister. They chatted until the break was over and Ranma had to get to her next class.

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"What do you mean male Ranma will turn up in some form or other," Cologne demanded.

"Well, his ki was drained and his physical body was converted into energy to create the girls demon body. He can't really die while the girl is alive, but he will need lots of energy before he can manifest as a demon like she did. Most likely he's somewhere with lots of heavy ki."

"You mean he'll have to resort to feeding off human misery like some bottom sucking mazoku."

"Yuppers."

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Nabiki could not stop laughing. Hearing what happened in class from her sources seemed funny enough, but hearing it from Ranma in her straight matter of fact voice was hilarious.

Ranma's reasoning was pretty simple. She really did want to improve her grades all of a sudden, and though Hinako is insane she does care about her students so why be enemies.

Suddenly Akane grabbed Ranma by the ear and twisted in just such a way as to pull her up to eye level. "Ranma, explain yourself," she demanded.

"You mean how I have been acting today."

"I mean, letting Happosai grab me, the morning spar, that weird joke about strangling your other self, the girly clothes and hair, what you did in class. It's all crazy."

"You forgot her date with Kuno," Nabiki added.

"Your what!"

"Akane," Ranma said under duress but still in a calm voice, "The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But, you're right. I am different."

"What, did you hit your head again?"

"No. Akane I know it's strange, but believe me, this change is for the better."

Akane released Ranma's ear, but only so she could take hold of her mallet and knock some sense into her fiancé. Ranma just stood there, figuring maybe Akane will listen after a few swings, but before she could even lift the mallet, "SLAP."

Akane stared at her sister in surprise.

"Akane stop it." Nabiki was crying. Nabiki never cries. This was more shocking to Akane than the slap. "Akane, you may not want to admit it, but you know that something has been wrong for a long time. Why do you think you and Ranma got along so well for the last month? It's because you both lost interest. You didn't fight because you didn't care. But that other Ranma was… he was cold on the inside…he didn't care…no he hated all of us. This Ranma may seem cold on the outside, but I know better. This is the real Ranma. This is the one I…you…this is the right one."

"How did it happen?"

"It was the incense; we banished the wrong one, so me and Happosai did it again."

Akane knew. She suspected for awhile. What Nabiki said was true. Akane knew it. After the first time, when the female Ranma was banished by the incense, Ranma felt like a bad actor. He didn't break character, but she knew he was acting. He never broke character or improvised anything. It was just so shallow. Nothing beyond what everyone expected. "Then the old Ranma is he gone?"

Ranma nodded.

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"Nabiki, that was so difficult."

"Ranma, she's my sister, I couldn't stand to see her like that either."

"It's like she's in mourning. I felt as though I was seeing my own funeral. Maybe Ranma Saotome really is gone. Maybe I'm just some thing that took his place." Ranma wouldn't have hurt her like that.

"No Ranma would have put his foot in his mouth and made it worse. You did right. You put all your cards on the table knowing Akane's strong enough to handle the whole truth."

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Meanwhile Ryoga was lost and out of food. However, these old problems paled before his newest concern. He ran his fingers though his hair. It was normal so why he wondered. "WHY DOES MY SHADOW HAVE A PIG TAIL?"

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Well that's it. I figure this is the first of a possible three chapters.

Thanks for all the reviews and support.

Most people felt the last part was too short, so I went a little bit longer.

Please review this new part.

Next up is the shopping trip, and just what is happening with Ryoga.


	3. Story II Part II

Ranma and the Evil Within Continues - Part III

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"Okay. This is tricky. You want these to be tight enough for support, but if they're too tight it will stunt your growth. Finding exactly the right size is vital."

"But Nabiki, do you really think they'll grow much bigger."

"Well make sure they have room to grow just in case. They are kinda small."

"Small," Ranma whined.

"Well yes, they are petite, but their form and shape is absolutely perfect.

"But that is not true," Onna Ranma replied. "One is bigger than the other."

"Oh that's not even noticeable."

"More likely the naives of this store measured incorrectly. Why they are proportioned every bit as magnificently as the rest of your body my goddess," complimented Kuno.

"Yours are so lovely. I'm envious Nabiki."

"What, Ranma, don't be ridiculous. Mine are way too big."

"No they're perfect."

Finally after several minutes of arguing over whom has the better pair Ranma picked the high heeled shoes she liked best. Kuno told the salesman he had recently insulted to gift-wrap them and they moved on to the lingerie department.

Onna Ranma looked at and fingered several bras. She compared prices and materials, read the sizes, looked carefully at the different patterns and strap arrangements then admitted that she doesn't know the first thing about women's underwear. Nabiki blushed. She did not know what to tell her. Kasumi always helped her when she bought underwear. It was so embarrassing. Both of them were well endowed, yet neither of them knew what to pick. They had just about agreed to save lingerie shopping for another time when Kuno demanded a sales lady to service them immediately.

Used to pushy clients the lady came over with a smile.

"This lady requires undergarments." Kuno proclaimed in a higher voice than he would have liked.

"Alright," said the sales lady. Then she looked over to Onna Ranma. Ranma starred back at her, and a shiver crept up the woman's spine. To put the woman at ease Ranma smiled. The demonic smile spoke of awful things she would do to her, and frightened the woman even more.

"Can you tell me your size?" she cautiously asked.

"I am not certain," said Ranma.

"She is a 34 C cup with a 32 pair of hips," Kuno added.

Ranma and Nabiki stared at Kuno in surprise. How the heck does he know that, they thought. The tension was made worse when the sales lady commented: "My, it must be nice to have a friend of his type to help you ladies when you shop."

"What do you mean of his type," Kuno quizzically asked.

"I mean a man who tries to see things from a female perspective."

"Are you implying that the great Tatawaki Kuno is …?"

"Please I meant no offence sir." The woman interrupted. "Why my own brother is like that. In fact perhaps I can introduce you to him."

Nabiki watched this argument intently. She worried that perhaps Kuno would get angry or make a scene. Yet she needed to know how he would react. Perhaps this will tell her what to expect when others find out how she feels towards Onna Ranma. To her surprise Kuno laughed. It was a jolly and hearty laugh that showed no unease in the slightest. "Maam," said he "though I am sure your brother is a fine fellow, I have all the company a man could want from these ladies here. Besides," he joked, "me seeing your brother would probably make them jealous."

The sales clerk looked over to Ranma and Nabiki, thinking she had made a mistake. Nabiki was still watching the altercation between the two of them, but Ranma was taking that moment of distraction to sniff Nabiki's hair. The woman, who thought she was so PC shuddered at this. Still she helped Ranma pick some nice undergarments and they moved on.

Soon after they where trying on make-up at the cosmetics counter. Onna Ranma found several shades of eye shadow she liked, but they all clashed with her bright red hair.

Ranma looked at her reflection and thought. She is essentially a new person. Perhaps she needs a look to better suit her personality. What is her personality? She wondered. She no longer remembered how to be the macho Ranma, that part of her was literally ripped away. The few times she purposely posed as a female she had either been ultra cute or sensual. She couldn't act like that all the time it would get annoying. Still she needed to be more expressive, if for no other reason then just to stop scaring people with her ghostly mannerisms. She looked to Nabiki, her confidence, her feminine grace. She couldn't just copy everything about her but maybe…"Maybe I should darken my hair." She asked Nabiki. "And perhaps I could style it more like yours only slightly longer. That would be cute."

Nabiki tried to imagine Ranma with shorter purplish hair and dark eye shadow. In the short time since her rebirth Ranma had developed fairer skin, a thinner body, and had just sprouted tiny fangs. Then it hit her. Grinning mischievously she walked over to a magazine stand in the impulse isle, and grabbed a copy of Chibi Vampire by Yuna Kagesaki, then brought it over to Ranma. "You mean you want to look like this," she teased pointing to a vampire girl named Karin.

Ranma flipped through the magazine and inspected the art carefully. She looked at how the character posed, how she dressed, and how she reacted. "Yes, that is nice," Ranma commented, oddly oblivious to the fact that she was being teased. Ranma grinned. This was the first time Nabiki had seen demon Onna Ranma look cheerful, so she humoured her. Soon they were at a salon, reading that very comic while the stylist made Ranma look like her new idol. She even went so far as to look for similar styles of clothes as those the character wore. Nabiki was kicking herself. There were tons of manga with scanty clad women yet she had to pick the one with an overly modest heroine.

Somewhere during her makeover Ranma looked at the comic and tried to pose and smile like the character she was emulating. This smile was cuter than her last, albeit somewhat scary. "What do you think?" She asked Nabiki in a purposely high pitched voice. Nabiki wondered why she was trying to mimic the comic character, still she looked adorable and that's what Nabiki told her. Kuno said the same.

As time went on Ranma watched all girls they past just as she might observe a martial arts move before testing it. She looked specifically for gestures and habits that suited her new image. Whenever she tried a new mannerism she turned to Nabiki, for approval. Soon Nabiki realized being totally female was new to Ranma. Her earlier lack of expression wasn't a tough girl act; she just didn't know how she was supposed to behave. She was looking for a role model, and without thinking Nabiki had suggested a character from a horror slash love story. This is fine as long as she doesn't try to bite anyone. Still Nabiki wondered just how impressionable Ranma is right now, and more importantly, what she should teach her.

Later Kuno took them both to a nice bistro for dinner. Once again, at a glance Onna Ranma's manners appeared proper, yet she actually ate huge amounts of food at an incredible speed. Nabiki wondered how she had gotten so thin, and if she would remain that way. Ranma's back faced the window, and she focused so intently on her food that it surprised her when she realized the sun had gone down.

"What time is it?" Ranma asked.

"It is 8:30."

"Nabiki, we had better get a move on."

"Surely you can stay a little longer. This establishment has the finest deserts," Kuno tempted.

"I don't remember you even having a curfew," said Nabiki."

"Actually I just want time to dismantle the bombs," said Ranma.

Nabiki's eyes bulged out of their sockets.

They waited awhile but Ranma didn't add anything to her statement. Finally Nabiki asked "What bombs?"

"Male Ranma stole some bomb making supplies from Happosai and set up bombs all over our school. I want to dismantle them, but I have to go late so no one will know who set them."

"He set bombs."

"Yes, he was planning to kill everyone at the dance next Friday. He even convinced our Fathers to chaperone and told Happosai there would be lots of girls there."

There was no more question in Nabiki's mind which Ranma had been the evil one. She was suddenly reminded of a discussion about how people see Ranma as something outside there view of reality, after all this was just too real for her. She hyperventilated slightly at the thought of it. He was actually planning to kill her. Heck, he was planning to kill everyone. For a month her room had been two doors down from someone who planned to commit mass murder. Was this why he had pretended everything was normal? Was he just trying to catch everyone off guard?

"Should we be talking about this in front of Kuno?"

"Why not, he did defeat the foul sorcerer Saotome, so there's no harm revealing his evil plans." said Onna Ranma giving Nabiki a mischievous wink. "Besides there are a lot of bombs to remove, I'm going to need help. Of course I can dismantle them tomorrow. I do want to try the cheesecake."

Kuno just smiled as though all was normal. "Well it's a good thing I destroyed the foul sorcerer Saotome," he said for the millionth time.

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Ryoga had the oddest sensation that he was being followed, but that feeling diminished as he came closer to a streetlight. Then as he walked past the light he began to feel the ominous presence once again. Only now it was in front of him. He looked at the oddly pigtailed shadow. He looked at the many streetlights ahead and he moved on. Each time he approached a light the shadow would move behind him. As he reached a light the presence would disappear only to reappear again in front of him as he passed the light. Ryoga could feel it. Ranma was mocking him. He had found some new way to torment him from anywhere. He would let the depression build then attack the shadow from time to time, but it never seemed to react. He merely destroyed the area around the cursed shadow, so Ryoga walked on to the next light, vowing that he would find Saotome and punish him for this.

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"I've never tasted cheesecake like this before"

"Yes it is quite exquisite," Kuno agreed."

"It's so yummy." Ranma forgot her newly acquired table manners and greedily gobbled it up. "Nabiki you have to try this. Giggle, giggle, hiccup. It's so tasty. Hiccup."

"Ranma are you okay. You're sweating and your face is turning red."

"Oh I'm great. Hiccup. Never better. Hiccup. Boo hoo."

Suddenly Ranma was crying.

"Kuno," Nabiki scolded, "What is in that cake?"

"Right," Ranma suddenly chirped. "You have got to tell us the recipe." She then started to cry again.

Kuno panicked. "There is a little bit of liquor, but not enough to get drunk."

Suddenly Ranma put her feet up and leaped out of her chair. She began to fall but to everyone's astonishment missed the ground. She then hovered up. Realizing she had gone to high she hovered back down, wobbling left and right in the process. Suddenly she puffed her cheeks and held her mouth prepared to vomit but when nothing came she moved on and hovered unsteadily toward a waiter. "Hiccup, Hey, Mister Waiter guy. Giggle. You got any more cheesy cake, Hiccup."

The waiter and restaurant patrons where horrified. Though one man who totally misunderstood the situation exposed the nape of his neck and offered to give Onna Ranma his cheese cake in return for eternal life.

Nabiki was proud of herself. She had remained cynical and unaffected in a situation that should have brought up all kinds of pesky emotions. She just calmly took Onna Ranma's hand, told her "You've had enough cheesecake." Then Nabiki led her out of the restaurant, leaving the flabbergasted Kuno to pay the bill. He would have paid anyway, but this way it doesn't look like they're ducking on the bill.

Soon Ranma was sitting on a bench outside, sweating, and trying to regain her composure.

Nabiki held Ranma's hand and tried to think of a lie to explain whatever just happened. Fortunately, being delusional, Kuno had already come up with a lie of his own. He explained to Nabiki how the formerly pigtailed girl was the last princess of and ancient line of magic users and how as he had long suspected the foul sorcerer Saotome kept her prisoner in order to exploit her magic powers. He then explained how all the members of her family lose control of there powers and inhibitions when they come in contact with spirituous beverages or possibly whipped cream. Nabiki just nodded and gave Kuno some mock compliments. He then told Nabiki how she needn't worry because he had erased the memories of everyone in the restaurant before leaving. Curiosity getting the better of her Nabiki looked back into the restaurant. Everyone was unconscious having been conked on the head with Kuno's bokken.

"Did you pay the bill before leaving" she asked.

"Why, they won't remember us having been there."

Before leaving Onna Ranma noted that everyone had been conked on the same point of their skulls. Could this be a pressure point technique? Does Kuno really have the power to erase short term memory? Even hammered her martial arts trained mind noted the positions and the level of bruising of the average wound figuring she might have use for this later. Nabiki just thought that Kuno better have one darn good lawyer.

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Later

"Ranma, I really think we should disarm those explosives."

Snore.

"Ranma, wake-up," Nabiki demanded. "You have to dismantle the bombs. The school is set to explode in four days."

"Huh? Yeah I'll get to it."

Ranma drifted back to sleep.

Nabiki was making no progress. Ranma had fallen asleep on the ride home.

Nabiki wanted to dismantle the bombs right away but she had a 10:00 curfew. Kuno was supposed to drop her off at the dojo then Ranma and Kuno would dismantle the bombs together, but Ranma had to fall asleep on the ride home. She wasn't just asleep, she was totally passed out. She couldn't leave Ranma alone with Kuno in this state. She had no choice; they would have to do it tomorrow.

Let's just hope Ranma doesn't procrastinate for too long she thought.

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That's chapter 3. I was going to write something longer and more poignant to the storyline but figured if I didn't post something soon people would think the story was abandoned.

I hope you enjoyed, and please review.


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